NAB's Licensed to Serve newsletter provides a sample of noteworthy stories that illustrate the many public service activities broadcasters organize on any given day across the country. From arranging record-breaking toy and food drives to providing free air time for political campaign coverage, broadcasters' continual commitment to their communities is showcased in Licensed to Serve.

Learn MoreClick here to learn more about broadcasters' community service initiatives
and nonprofit partnerships.

Send Us Your Stories
If your station has a great public service campaign that should be
recognized, email Allison Kreutzjans, manager, Public Service Initiatives
or call (202) 429-5448 with details.
Follow NAB Public Service Initiatives on Twitter: @BroadlyServing.

Elected Officials Rely on Broadcasters to Spread Key Messages to the General Public

President Calls on Broadcasters to Spread Climate Message President Barack Obama recently invited eight weather broadcasters to the White House to help raise awareness of the National Climate Assessment, a new report that explains how the warming climate is causing dramatic changes across the United States. The New York Times reports, "Polls show that local television weathercasters are among the most trusted media figures." Broadcasters who were invited included NBC's Al Roker, and meteorologists from Gannett Broadcasting's CBS affiliate WLTX-TV Columbia, S.C., and NBC-owned WTVJ-TV Miami.

Chicago Mayor Turns to Local Radio to Promote Anti-Violence Fifteen Chicago radio stations from four different owners – Clear Channel, Univision, Crawford Broadcasting and Midway Broadcasting – have partnered with Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the city of Chicago to launch the "Put The Guns Down" radio initiative. The anti-violence campaign promotes safety in local communities and aims to reduce gun violence that has plagued Chicago. Stations have agreed to air PSAs featuring their on-air talent, host weekly news segments and monthly radio simulcasts to discuss the importance of community responsibility and accountability.

Broadcasters Continue to Support Communities After Recent Natural Disasters

Nexstar's Arkansas Stations Raise $200,000 for Tornado Recovery Nexstar Broadcasting Group's owned and affiliated television stations in Arkansas combined their local resources and staff to support the greater Little Rock community after severe storms and tornadoes tore through the region. Nexstar's NBC affiliate KARK-TV and FOX affiliate KLRT-TV quickly set up a telethon to support the Salvation Army's relief and recovery efforts in Arkansas. The tornado telethon aired on Nexstar and Mission Broadcasting stations in Little Rock and Fayetteville, Ark., and Monroe, La. The event raised more than $200,000 and proceeds helped purchase food, water and equipment for the Salvation Army's mobile feeding units.

KING-TV Hosts Prom for Oso Students Following MudslidesGannett Broadcasting's NBC affiliate KING-TV Seattle was active in supporting local relief efforts in the wake of the Oso mudslides. The station's efforts took a non-traditional turn when KING-TV learned that the local high school in Oso was having difficulty raising enough money to host their annual high school prom. KING-TV responded by hosting the Darrington High School prom. The station procured tuxedos, dresses, catering, décor, entertainment, photography, flowers and more. KING-TV made a memorable evening for Oso students and their community, which has experienced great tragedy in recent months.

CBS Cares and National Stroke Association Create CampaignCBS Television Network's "CBS Cares" campaign and National Stroke Association partnered to raise awareness of the risk factors commonly associated with strokes and to highlight the groups that are most susceptible to strokes overall. Together they created three PSAs, which were broadcast on CBS Radio's 126 major market stations. The campaign ran throughout May in support of National Stroke Awareness Month, and encouraged the public to fill out a Stroke Risk Scorecard and talk with their healthcare professional. To hear the radio PSAs and to learn more, click here.

NBC Washington Launches Mental Health Campaign NBC-owned WRC-TV Washington recently launched a year-long, multi-platform campaign called, "Changing Minds," which focuses on the issues of mental health. WRC's Assistant News Director Matt Glassman explained the idea for the campaigndeveloped organically among reporters and staff in the newsroom. "Changing Minds" stories run throughout all WRC-TV newscasts and on every platform from on-air and online to social media and the station's mobile app. Click here to view several of the the campaign's PSAs that feature WRC-TV on-air talent.

Partnership for Drug-Free Kids Recognizes KMTW-TV and Other Outstanding Local TV Stations Sinclair Broadcasting's MyNetworkTV affiliate KMTW-TV Wichita received a Media Excellence Award for its public service efforts to promote a drug-free Kansas from the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids. The Partnership recognized 26 other local TV stations across the country that provide outstanding support for the nonprofit's efforts to reduce teen substance abuse and support families impacted by addiction. Click here to learn more.

KXLN-TV Promotes Bilingual Literacy on Children's Day Univision's KXLN-TV Houston participated at the Día de los Niños (Children’s Day) event at the Children’s Museum of Houston in conjunction with the Consulate General of Mexico and other non-profit organizations. The event focused on promoting bilingual literacy. Parents were encouraged to take a pledge, as part of Univision Contigo's Pequeños y Valiosos early childhood educational program, to commit to engaging with their kids in reading, singing or playing for at least 15 minutes every day. KXLN-TV news talent were present at the event during story time, and engaged with the children, while the Mexican Consulate distributed around 500 bilingual children's books throughout the event.

WLTV-TV Honors Outstanding Miami High School Students Univision's WLTV-TV Miami honored 10 outstanding South Florida high school students with its 17th annual Papa John's Pizza Orgullo de Nuestra Juventud (Pride of our Youth) Awards. The awards luncheon was hosted by WLTV-TV news anchor Alina Mayo Azze. Six of the 10 students were recognized for academic excellence and outstanding commitment to civic duty. The four other students were recognized with the Academic Achievement Award for demonstrating academic growth and overcoming setbacks in their personal life. The students were awarded scholarships by Papa John’s Pizza, and Miami-Dade College offered each student free tuition if they chose to pursue their university education there.

KSFO-AM Raises $111,000 for Fisher House Over Memorial Day Weekend Cumulus Media's KSFO-AM San Francisco's morning show with Brian Sussman and Katie Green and weekend talent, Spencer Hughes and Ethan Bearman, held a live broadcast from the Fisher House in Palo Alto during Memorial Day weekend. The three-day fundraiser featured interviews with U.S. military personnel and their families who benefit from the Fisher House Foundation's services. Throughout the weekend, KSFO-AM raised $111,000 for the organization which supports American veterans, active military and their families.

KGMB-TV Helps Hawaii Food Bank Raise 1 Million Meals Raycom Media's CBS affiliate KGMB-TV Honolulu supported the Hawaii Food Bank Annual Food Drive. In April, the station produced and aired a 15-second "Good Things PSA" for several weeks, which encouraged viewers to bring canned meals and monetary donations to the Food Drive. The PSA featured KGMB-TV's morning anchor Steve Uyehara. In addition, several KGMB-TV anchors donated their time at the Food Drive, volunteering at a dunking booth to help raise money for the Food Bank. KGMB-TV also produced two 30-second PSAs to promote the event, along with a five-minute presentation for the organization's kick-off breakfast. This year's Food Drive raised 1 million meals, according to the Hawaii Food Bank.

WVTM-TV Collects 42,000 Books for Birmingham Students Media General's WVTM-TV Birmingham collected 42,000 new and gently used books during the Birmingham Reads Book Drive, part of a multi-day annual event held in conjunction with Better Basics, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing literacy. WVTM-TV broadcast live cut-ins throughout the drive, and station employees helped receive book donations from individuals and organizations. The collected books were delivered to students in need throughout the Birmingham area. Gene Kirkconnell, WVTM-TV's vice president and general manager, said, "We are honored to partner with Better Basics in their important mission to help our community's children learn to read, comprehend and develop a thirst for knowledge."

Mid-West Family's Stations Raise $680K for Children's Hospital Mid-West Family's WWQM-FM and WJQM-FM Madison, Wis., hosted the 10th annual American Family Children's Hospital Radiothon. The three-day, 39-hour radiothon broadcast live from the lobby of the American Family Children's Hospital in Madison and featured the inspiring stories of patients, families and staff at the hospital. The 2014 radiothon raised more than $680,000, a new record for the stations.

Schurz’s Rapid City Cluster Raises $87K for Local CMN Hospital Schurz Communications' radio stations in Rapid City, S.D., including KKMK-FM, KOUT-FM, KFXS-FM and KRCS-FM, hosted the "One Call, One Miracle Radiothon" last month to support the Children's Miracle Network (CMN). The event broadcast live from the Rapid City Regional Hospital and featured stories of local children and families. The radiothon raised more than $87,000 to support the local hospital.

Clear Channel's Albany Cluster Raises $650,000 for Pediatric Hospital Clear Channel's Albany stations, WGY-AM/FM and WRVE-FM, hosted the 16th annual Cares for Kids Radiothon, a 30-hour live broadcast that supports the Children's Hospital at Albany Medical Center. The event raised nearly $650,000. WGY-FM Program Director Josh Everett said, "It takes a dedicated team of hospital and radio station volunteers to make the Cares for Kids Radiothon a success, but the true heroes are the children and families being helped by these efforts. Their courage and willingness to share difficult and painful experiences -- along with their victories -- is truly what compels others to give so generously."

Broadcasters Keep Electorate Informed With Live Debates and Campaign Coverage

Kentucky Broadcasters to Air U.S. Senatorial Debates The Kentucky Broadcasters Association (KBA) will help coordinate a series of debates between the candidates running for Kentucky’s U.S. Senate seat later this year. Block Communication’s FOX affiliate WDRB-TV Louisville has extended an offer to all Kentucky radio and television stations to participate. The first debate is expected later this summer.

Hearst’s KCCI-TV Hosts Two Iowa Debates Hearst Television's KCCI-TV Des Moines, Iowa, hosted two, 90-minute primetime debates in late May for candidates running in the 2014 Elections. The first debate on May 27 featured Republican candidates running for Iowa's Third District U.S. House seat. The second debate on KCCI-TV included the Republican candidates running for Iowa's U.S. Senate seat. Both debates were part of the station's "Commitment 2014" coverage and were moderated by KCCI-TV anchors. In addition to the live broadcast, the debates were streamed live on the station's website and app.

WBFF-TV Hosts Gubernatorial Debate in Baltimore Sinclair Broadcasting's FOX affiliate WBFF-TV Baltimore hosted a debate for candidates running for Maryland Governor on May 27. The hour-long debate was moderated by WBFF-TV anchor Jennifer Gilbert and broadcast live at 8 p.m. The debate was simulcast on Allbritton's ABC affiliate WJLA-TV Washington and streamed on WBFF-TV's website. The gubernatorial candidates have also agreed to participate in a debate on Radio One's WOLB-AM Baltimore on June 5, which will be moderated by the station's host Larry Young.